Action 9

Action 9: Family blames trainer for pet dog's disappearance

An Orlando family blames a pet trainer for the disappearance and possible death of their dog.
The trainer claims the incident was a bizarre accident, but when the trainer didn't cover the family's losses, they called Action 9 consumer investigator Todd Ulrich.
Tyson, a 5-year-old German Shepard, has been missing since July and the family fears their beloved pet dead.
They blame the company they paid to train Tyson.
“We were extremely shocked. We never thought someone would do this to us,” said Twinkal Christie.
She and her husband hired Lupo Canine Services because of its great reviews.
But days after dropping off Tyson, they got a call from company owner Francesco Rinaldo.
He said a wild boar attacked him during training on Shingle Creek and Tyson ran off.
Christie said Rinaldo told him that he had to let go of the leash to save the dog's life and that he called the dog's name for 15 minutes, but did not get a response. 
The Christies joined the search and said Rinaldo helped post missing dog signs.
But they claim a neighborhood surveillance video suggests the trainer was not at that location when he said the attack occurred and he never contacted state wildlife officials the boar attack.
“The story's not lining up. The timing's not lining up,” said Christie.
The family said he stopped responding and only offered a partial refund. The Christies claim the company refused to cover their losses. So they took its owner to court and won a $1,100 small-claims judgment, but said Rinaldo was not paying.
Action 9's Todd Ulrich found the owner at his training facility.
“I think this family deserves some answers,” said Ulrich. 
“I did help them and I did everything possible I could," Rinaldo said. 
Rinaldo said he always intended to pay, the attack happened just like he said and now he's offering a $5,000 reward to find Tyson.
Lupo Canine Services has helped hundreds of families, hundreds, look at my reviews,” said Rinaldo.
The same week Ulrich tracked down the company owner, he paid the court judgment in full.
The Christie family is still offering a reward for their dog's return.